PerutBesi's Visitors

SurF tHis SitE RaNdoMly

>> Thursday, July 13, 2017

Gosh...time flies! I've been terribly busy of late that I really didn't have time to even do anything apart from work, the needed household chores, & tending my little garden :'( Since getting back from my trip to Japan (mid May) 'til now, I was flying here there, working from morning 'til past midnight every weekday & I'm just catching a few minutes to type out this blog post before I jump into another conference call & fly off to Bangalore this weekend!

This was my last product review in June & I didn't have time to attend any events nor write on my recent trips to Japan & Houston (biz trip). How I look forward to the day where I can sit back, relax, unwind & blog once again!

As most of you would have known, Shihlin Taiwanese Street Snacks has recently launched a new series of freshly-made Taiwanese drinks i.e. Smoked Plum juice, Winter Melon Tea, & Honey Lemon Cooler. I didn't get to try the popular Honey Lemon Cooler as it was unavailable at the time I visited one of their outlets in Shah Alam.

I must say that I liked their packaging as it is reusable! It's slightly 'flimsy', but I guess it's definitely more space-saving when stored in the refrigerator. I felt that the drinks are best consumed cold/chilled :) The drinks were generally too sweet for me as I don't really fancy drinking sweet drinks, but it's quite a good drink on-the-go. I'll pick the familiar winter melon tea over the smoked plum juice as I felt the latter was too sour + too sweet for my tastebuds. Get a packet or two on-the-go to try out for yourselves at RM3.80/packet :)

The drinks are great with some of Shihlin's deep-fried Sweet Plum Potato Fries too!

Time to head over for the next conference call! I promise I will blog again, hopefully while I'm in India?

>> Wednesday, May 17, 2017

* this is not an invited review

The much-awaited month of Ramadan is fast approaching, beginning from 26th of May - 24th of June 2017. It's a month of fasting, self-reflection & prayer for the Muslim community before they celebrate the Hari Raya Aidilfitri festival.

My MIL invited me to join her for the preview/review of some Ramadan buffets at a few hotels in Kuantan. Seems like I do get to attend reviews after all, but in a very different manner :P My 1st review in Kuantan for the Ramadan buffet this year began with The Zenith Hotel Kuantan last night. It was a night where corporate representatives were all present to sample the buffet spread that their companies could consider during the month of Ramadan.

One of the highlights every year during the month of Ramadan at The Zenith Hotel Kuantan is their Whole Lamb Kuzi with Rice Ratna Sari. It's like a medley of aromatically, flavored rice with tender roasted lamb that's served with a special vegetable curry that goes with the rice & brown sauce to compliment the lamb. I enjoyed this dish, but wish that it was served piping hot! It'll be even more delightful & tasty, I'm sure :D

Whole Lamb Kuzi with Rice Ratna Sari

You'll find the cost details of the buffet spread in the poster below:

As I'm not obligated to write/blog about the event (since it's not an official invited media event for me), I just took some photos of dishes that I thought look & taste good in the buffet spread :P Here are some of the dishes to whet your appetite & help you make your consideration for this place if you're planning to organize a dinner with your family, friends, & colleagues during the month of Ramadan.

Cold served seafood: Oysters & Prawns

They were pretty large, fresh & firm.

Sup "Gear Box"

Ayam Pedas Rebung Seri Menanti (Spicy Chicken with Bamboo Shoots)

Chicken Kebab

Assortment of Cakes & Malay Kuih

Freshly-Squeezed Sugar Cane Juice

The variety in this buffet spread can't be compared to the ones back in PJ/KL, where there's just such abundance of variety that I don't know where to start! This buffet spread is sizable & provides a decent breaking-fast meal to all Muslims & their friends at a comfortable dining area.

I didn't eat THAT much (or I would like to think so), but got to try everything that I wanted to try. I had the laksa, the cold seafood, the famous whole lamb kuzi with rice, some freshly-deep fried vegetables, the famous East Coast Ikan Patin Bakar with Tempoyak, the chicken kebab & some cakes & salad greens. I think the grilled fish is a must try. It was delicious!

Laksa with Noodles

Cold Served Oysters & Prawns

Deep-Fried Vegetables & the Lamb Kuzi with Rice

Grilled catfish with tempoyak is a must-try!

Cakes & some salad

I thought the salted caramel/peanut butter cake was pretty good!

'Til the next post, stay tuned with PerutBesi for more sharing on good eats & my recent trip to Kansai region in Japan as well! I'll have to take time to sort out the photos & information, but it's something that I definitely want to share!

>> Sunday, April 23, 2017

Feels as if it's been a long time since I last attended any reviews! Relocation sure brings about loads of changes & adjustments of lifestyle. There are other areas to explore, discover & experience as I move on to a new phase of life.

It's my pleasure to share with you this great promotion that Bangi Golf Resort (BGR) Restaurant is offering during the month of Ramadhan. Their signature Ramadhan Buffet has been a tremendous hit each year & this year will not disappoint as well! From 29th May 2017 - 23rd June 2017, this halal-certified restaurant will bring you on a gastronomic experience with its sumptuous spread of up to 200 dishes, featuring the Kambing Bakar (slow-roasted lamb on the spit) from the Malay section of the buffet & their special Sous Vide Eggs with Mushroom Espuma from the Western section of the buffet spread.

This year, the kitchen team is proud to present their Nasi Lemak Istimewa as one of the main attractions, consisting of Rendang Daging Taik Minyak, Sambal Sotong Kembang, Ayam Bercili Masak Ketumbar, Ikan Masak Asam Kari & the Telur Rebus Goreng Masak Sambal Tomato. Don't miss this year's latest addition of the Peri-Peri Chicken Drumlets as well! I think it goes just as great with the nasi lemak spread...hahaha...

We thought that their Rendang Daging Taik Minyak tasted flavorful & the meat was tender. I'll recommend that above the rest of the dishes for the nasi lemak.

Rice-lovers would be further tantalized with the latest edition on BGR's menu i.e. Hainanese Chicken Rice, where fluffy grains of rice cooked in rendered chicken fat is served with succulent pieces of chicken & accompanied by fresh garlic & ginger chili sauce.

Chicken & Beef Satay

Western section: Spaghetti & Lasagna

Noodles section: Mee Soto Ayam

Noodles Section: Mee Rebus

I particularly thought their dessert spread was truly eye-catching! The myriad of colors & texture just made me, a non-dessert-lover, to want to begin the buffet with desserts first! (yes, it's true) Their favorites like the Spanish Churros with Thick Chocolate Sauce, Signature Italian Tiramisu & a selection of homemade, traditional Malay kuih & puddings are must tries! Some of the new desserts added to the dessert spread like the Serawa Durian, Assorted Swiss Rolls,Ivory Sesame Mocha Cake, Tropical Nectar & Lychee Rose Cake will probably fill you up if you actually try all of them before trying the main dishes...hahaha.

Look out for the "Durian Runtuh" section of the buffet as well, where fresh durians from Raub, Pahang, will be available to all durian-lovers & those who would like to try durians for the first time ;) There's also the freshly-churned gelato from Sweet Scoopz, a gelato producer known for its Musang King & unique P.G.A. (Passion Fruit, Guava & Asam Boi) flavors.

Desserts: Food to the eyes...so colorful & inviting!

Spanish Churros

The final cup of Durian Musang King gelato for the PerutBesi :P

Live music performances will entertain guests from 6:30pm - 9:30pm daily, so you can be sure to enjoy the lively atmosphere while breaking fast during the month of Ramadhan together with the rest of the guests.

Their buffet price is probably the cheapest or one of the cheapest in town (coupled with GREAT-tasting, EXTENSIVE variety of dishes & ample car park for all guests) i.e. RM58.00 nett/adult & RM28.00 nett/child. For more savings, make your group reservations & enjoy the buffet at RM49.00 nett/adult & RM22.00 nett/child!

>> Saturday, March 25, 2017

HELLO, HELLO!! Yes, PerutBesi is back! :D

I know it's been a whole month of silence since my last post. Forgive me for the lack of updates & posts here. Those who have been following me on Facebook & Instagram would know that I've been occupied with work, family, gardening & home-cooking! :D Plus, yes, I've also been slightly lazy amidst my busyness to update the blog. My bad.

So yes, why was I missing-in-action for a month? What have I been up to, you may wonder?

Since my last blog post, I have been occupied with planning the surprise 60th birthday dinner for both my parents! You see, both my parents have turned/are turning 60 this year & their birthdays are only a month apart. Thus, I thought it would only be fantastic & exciting to celebrate their lives as individuals & a couple for the 60 years of blessings that they have poured onto the lives of people around them! :) Enjoy the short video of the 'party' that I put up. It was a really enjoyable & memorable time for not only my parents, but those who attended as well!

I was also quite caught up with my latest 'craze' i.e. gardening! Unbelievable? The Ruthless Eater is easily influenced by Facebook videos on growing our own vegetables, thus yours truly attempted & experimented on growing my own food! Hahahaha...I know, it sounds kinda mad! But hey, I'm not really deviating much from my passion & blog's focus i.e. food! :D This felt like a 'level-up' for me as I actually managed to live out the "from garden to table" concept at least once a month! Some of my pride-and-joy are as below for your viewing pleasure :) They're not all from Feb - Mar, but pretty much from the beginning of this year 'til now.

Here's a summary of my gardening journey of 7 months :) You can click on the photo to view in large-size.

One of my 1st few crops: Kangkung + Emperor Veggie ("Dai Wong Miu")

that I planted from roots of the vegetables that I bought from the supermarket & ate the 1st-bought-veggie. It was an experiment to see if they will really grow & multiple to another batch of crops that I could harvest right from my small garden, without the use of commercial pesticides. It worked! In abundance as well! Praise the Lord! :D

My other edibles: Thai Basil, Aloe Vera & Pandan Leaves

I cooked the Thai Basil with chicken while the skinned Aloe Vera + Pandan Leaves were boiled with barley as a refreshing drink.

Beautiful & Cute Japanese Roses

As you would have noticed, most of my plants are edibles & green. I didn't have any colorful flowers growing in my little garden, so I decided to try plant a bed of Japanese Roses, a type of flower that's REALLY hardy in all conditions, I feel! Give it good sunshine, some water & space to grow - it grows fast like weeds, but gives a cheerful note to the monotone garden :D

I even had an abundance of harvest that I could give away/share with family & friends!

Here are some of the babies that I gave out to my colleagues & friends ;)

These Phalaenopsis orchids were the only few plants that I bought - but from the clearance section of a nursery in Sg. Buloh on 15th Jan 2017, before CNY!

I paid RM5 for 3 pots of semi-dead-looking plants, which I thought could be saved. It's also another experiment that I invested RM5 to gamble...hahaha! I was over-joyed when the orchids survived & grew new roots + leaves before popping 4 flower buds on 25th Feb :D The 1st flower fully bloomed on 17th Mar, 2nd flower on 20th Mar, while the 3rd flower fully bloomed on 22nd Mar. I'm still waiting for the last flower to bloom! RM1.70 TOTALLY WELL-SPENT! LOL!

Last, but not least, I was also busy experimenting in my kitchen :) I'm not a person who refers much to recipes, but I just enjoy experimenting on 'new/improvised' recipes using my 4 senses when I cook: sight, smell, taste, touch. I don't really 'measure' my ingredients, but tweak it according to what I feel & think would be best. Here are some of the dishes that I've cooked since my last blog post. The photos quality isn't great as I used my phone camera.

Pan-Fried Chicken Thigh Burger with Fresh Potato Wedges

Yeah, I know, it looks kinda burnt...but it was still very tasty + crunchy too :P

In the coming days/weeks, I'll be sharing some blog posts on food that I tried outside :P Do stay tuned with The Ruthless Eater! This blog will get more interesting as I'm not just exploring new restaurant, revisiting old restaurants, but I'll be sharing my experiments & experiences in cooking & gardening!

>> Monday, February 27, 2017

Residents of Setapak can now look forward to catch the latest movies at the newly renovated MBO Setapak Central Mall! The MBO Setapak Central Reborn event was filled with excitement, where world class street dancing group Katoon Network & famous artiste Ayda Jebat made their appearance. MyFM celebrity DJs Jack Lim, Wai Fun and Emely Poon were also present to add to the fun of the event.

With MBO's tagline of “Bringing Excitement Near You” and in appreciation to loyal patrons, the refurbished MBO Cinemas Setapak Central outlet has improved layout that are also user-friendly for the physically challenged, more open spaces in the lobby for waiting guests and enhanced counter service including the delicious MBO Cinemas popcorn and a wide choice of beverages. The cinemas feature black faux leather and enhanced sound systems in all the halls plus Barco laser projectors and Auro 3D immersive sound system in Hall 6 of the outlet. Even the washrooms in the cinema are newly renovated! Hehe. The brand also has a cafe called Cafecito, where patrons can enjoy an aromatic cup of coffee or some delicious cakes before catching a movie or while chilling out as they catch trailers of upcoming movies.

MBO Cinemas’ very own Cafecito

If you haven't discovered MBO's StarClub loyalty program, you'll be pleased to know that this FREE loyalty program offers extensive benefits & privileges where members can just queue up at the Member’s Priority Lane, receive free movie tickets on their birthday month & catch exclusive, ‘members only’ free screenings. Each time a member books MBO movie tickets online, no booking fee is incurred, regardless if it's a 2D or 3D movie, & each ticket purchase entitles the member to even earn StarPoints, which can be used to redeem free movie ticket, popcorn, drinks and other exclusive movie premiums.

With all the refurbishments happening for MBO cinemas, one after another, I actually am looking forward to their upcoming upcoming official openings of the following cinemas in 2017 at:

Starling, Damansara Uptown

Elements Melaka

AEON BIG Farlim Ipoh

Kuantan City Mall

Atria Shopping Mall, Petaling Jaya

My usual go-to MBO cinemas are at Subang Parade or Citta Mall, so with more MBO cinemas coming up, there's now more options to look forward to!

Disclaimer: Reviews written are based solely on my personal opinion. I am not affiliated with any companies/restaurants and will not be responsible for any disappointments that occur. No part of this site or any of the content contained herein may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior permission from the publisher.